Social Media’s Impact on Relationships Among LAU Students

Sanaa Eter on May 5, 2017

At the Lebanese American University, the Instagram account “LAU Beirut Crushes” says it all. Students send their messages exposing their affections through a small text that is posted on the page keeping their identities hidden. Students find this account a free area to elaborate about their feelings and try to meet with their dream guy/ girl.

Studies from the “PewResearch Centre” show that 57 per cent of teens have begun relationships through digital atmosphere. Among these, 47 per cent also expressed their romantic emotions through liking, commenting, or chatting with another person on a social media account.

A screenshot of the instagram conversation with the ‘LAU Beirut Crushes’ account’s Admin(s), taken by Sanaa Eter.

Students trust this account’s admins who are strictly obiding the privacy rules. Even when asked to do a small interview promising them their identities would remain unknown, they refused.

This account affected plenty. Take Laya Sleiman for example. She sent a small message describing the guy she has an eye on, and plenty of tags ran away through the comments. Mohamed Nida ( the guy she has a crush on) was obviously known. She followed him. He followed Back.

“The moment I followed him, I was afraid he’d know me as the girl that asked for him,” said Laya, majoring computer science at LAU. “The good news though, his profile was public and many would follow him per day, so mine wasn’t unique.”

“We used the eye-contact strategy at university, ending up talking coincidently at the cafeteria; when I was twisted what should I have for breakfast,” said Laya.

Many other relationships strike this rode.

Karim Daccash and Anastasia Hamasni are included. He was astonished by Anna’s yellow dress curving her body. Tags of Ana’s friends screwed her over. She had the curiosity to meet her secret admirer. They got along for three months now.

Karim Daccash (left) with his girlfriend Anastasia Hamasni (right), taken by Sanaa Eter.

“I didn’t have the courage to talk to her at first, but her glamorous look charmed me and pushed me to,” said Karim, a junior majoring business at LAU. “She’s spontaneous, and that is not what I discovered through her interaction on social media because she’s a bit cold, but realised through real life talks, which attached me to her.”

Three to Four girls attacked Mousawi on LAU Beirut Crushes Instagram page. The struggle is real. Abou Hamdan couldn’t handle this problem, triggered along with subsidal mini-problems, that pushed her to ask for a break up.

“65% of boys say social media makes them feel more connected with what’s happening in their significant other’s life (compared with 52% of girls). Some 16% of these boys report that these platforms make them feel “a lot” more connected,” Amanda Lenhart, Monica Anderson, and Aaron Smith said in their research.

Digital realm is an indispensable part of a broader universe in which teens meet, date and break up through romantic statuses. Online websites are used infrequently for connecting with romantic partners, yet play a major role in the way teens flirt and communicate with potential and current reactions.

The one who talks first gets a trophy. The stereotypical famous question, “Who’s going to to talk first?”

It’s a 180 degrees different issue that subject couples to a confusing negotiation.

“She is very much educated to an extent she doesn’t think of those silly thoughts, the ‘he should talk first’ thoughts,” said Abdullah Bazzy, 20, majoring business at LAU. “Whenever she feels like texting, she texts.”

Abdallah Bazzy, 20, majoring business at LAU, taken by Sanaa Eter.

“We met at first at the gym in LAU, but the whole relationship thing started all over from social media, thanks to Facebook,” Bazzy said.

Real love sentiments are spread all over the internet, ending up in marriage sometimes.

Bianca London shared in her research outlet, the 21st century’s new track of merging people through like buttons that a stranger may become your husband from this “like”, after she met the civilized married couple, Andrew Dearling and Nicole Drummond.

“Andrew Dearling, 28, from London, was scouring the social media site one day when he stumbled across Nashville-born Nicole Drummond’s page, liking a few of her snaps,” London wrote. “Their story began since that special day.”

Social media engages persons in other people’s lives. They are able to know what they’re doing at the moment. They can interact with them even if they’re far away from each other. They share their interests (pictures, videos) and communicate lively (video chat, Face-Time).

However, some people view social media as the deceiving agent.

“What people post on social media tends to be the highlight reel. It’s not the ups and downs of everything they experience, but the best parts of their life. They post good selfies when they look good and nothing when they don’t,” said Angie B., an active writer and a famous blogger.

Couples constantly go through fights because of an aspect related to social media. They might get divorced by a small message in the upcoming days or even marry. People expect surprises from social media every now and then.